My Brother
by KaylaMicael
Summary: Inspired by the up and coming Epic Mickey: The Power of Two. Please read and Review, and all characters are the proud and exclusive property of Disney!
1. Chapter 1

Oswald clutched his remote tighter and looked over at Mickey, who was holding his brush with a fierce, determined look. Oswald couldn't help but feel a warm twinge of admiration for the mouse. He fought for this world as fiercely as if it were his own, in spite of the bad start they'd gotten off to. Now it was easy to see the hero that so many others saw. Not that he would ever admit that to his face, thank you.

Looking back at the Mad Doctor's huge machine, Oswald clenched his teeth in anger. He couldn't help berating himself again for listening to that lunatic again, but now wasn't the time to think about what should have been done. He'd already wasted 83 years on that.

"Mouse!" he shouted, dodging a swipe by the huge mechanical arm. "Your way!"

Mickey did a quick flip so the arm swung under him, then shot a spray of thinner at the arm, melting the last of its paint shell. With a quick snap, Oswald aimed his remote and pressed the button. The bolt zoomed through the air and crackled fiercely over the arm. The rabbit grinned as the robotic monster let out a metallic shriek, writhing.

"Great shot!"

Oswald glanced at Gus and smiled; the gremlin was watching from a safe distance, as usual, but he had little doubt that if he were bigger, he would fight just as hard as anyone else. Suddenly, Mickey's voice rang out from behind him.

"Look out!"

The rabbit turned just in time for Mickey to shove him to the ground. A flash of metal crashed onto the spot Oswald had been standing just a moment ago, followed by a sharp cry of pain.

Oswald looked up, and gasped in shock. Mickey was pinned under the robot's giant hand. Immediately, the rabbit jumped up and ran to him.

"Mickey!"

The mouse slowly opened his eyes, his breathing heavy.

"Oswald," he gasped, his face tight with agony. "It… it hurts…"

"Hold on!" Oswald exclaimed. "I'll get it off ya!"

He grabbed the hand and threw all his weight up against it, desperately trying to lift it. To his horror, the labored breathing from under it seemed to be getting weaker by the minute.

"Don't give up on me now, mouse!" he grunted through clenched teeth. "Come on…"

As he struggled to free Mickey from the crushing weight, he heard a small, feeble whisper from the mouse.

"O-… Oswald… S-stop… him…"

The rabbit was about to reply when something crashed painfully into his shoulder, knocking him back down. The paintbrush clattered to the ground beside him, and he looked up to see the hand lifting away, Mickey hanging limp in its grasp.

"Mickey!" Oswald yelled, clutching his sore shoulder. Gus flew past him and followed the hand until he managed to catch hold. Oswald saw him pull one of Mickey's ears in an attempt to wake him before he quickly dodged to avoid a hit from the huge robot's other hand. Oswald leaped just in time to avoid being slammed into the ground, but the iron still caught his head and knocked his senses awry.

As Oswald lay on his back, dazed, he dimly heard Gus shouting. Then suddenly, the gremlin was shaking his arm.

"Oswald!"

The rabbit shook the daze away and managed to get to his feet.

"I'm fine," he said. All of a sudden a cruel, familiar laugh reached their ears. Oswald looked up and instantly gritted his teeth; the Mad Doctor had suddenly appeared on top of the machine.

"Ah, my old friend," he hissed in a mockingly friendly tone. Oswald tightened his hold on the remote, almost snarling with rage.

"Don't call me that," he said fiercely. "I'm no friend of yours. You're nothing but a traitor to Wasteland."

The evil scientist stared at him for a few moments, then burst out laughing.

"I'm the traitor?" he asked, as if it was the funniest thing he ever heard. "Are you forgetting who first created the Shadow Blot? Who caused the Thinner Disaster?"

Despite himself, Oswald shuddered. Even though he had forgiven Mickey, it was still delicate territory for both of them. The last thing he wanted was to be reminded of that now.

"N-no…" he said. "That… it was an accident… he didn't do it on purpose!"

The Mad Doctor stopped cackling and looked at the rabbit almost curiously. Then a sickening grin came over his face.

"Was it an accident when he replaced you?"

The words hit Oswald like a kick in the gut. He dimly heard Gus sputter in shock. Against his will, the rabbit felt burning anger rise inside him. All the painful, bitter memories came rushing back in a whirl.

Abandoned, replaced, forgotten…

But then, almost unbidden, more recent events began replaying in his mind. He saw the mouse who had replaced him, who he had long thought of as his enemy, standing alongside him and fighting to restore the world he had accidentally damaged, encouraging him not to give up. Those weren't the actions of an enemy, but of a friend.

Coming back to the present, Oswald looked up at the robotic monster. Mickey was still clenched in the hand. At the sight, another memory stirred in him, and he saw himself and Gus in Mickey's place, trapped and helpless in the Blot's grasp. He'd had little doubt Mickey would try to help Gus, but suddenly he saw Mickey looking directly at him, his eyes full of fear. Not just for the gremlin, but for Oswald.

The last thing he remembered was fierce determination replacing the fear as the mouse bared his chest, then the terrible pain as the Blot shot a Bloticle into his chest and violently wrenched his heart away. With that thought, Oswald clutched his remote and braced his feet.

"No." He was slightly surprised to hear his voice come out firm. The Mad Doctor stopped grinning, looking confused by this reaction.

"You're wrong," Oswald said. "Mickey's not my enemy. He never was my enemy."

He clenched his fists harder, raising his voice.

"You turned your back on your own world, your fellow characters… you would've seen them destroyed! You knew what it would mean and you did it anyway, not caring who would be hurt or what would be lost! And that's a real enemy!"

Noticing the paintbrush still on the ground, Oswald snatched it up and pointed it at the robotic monster, shooting a spray of Thinner that revealed a glowing heartspot: the creature's source of life. He shot a bolt that hit home, prompting a deafening metallic shriek.

"What are you doing?" the Mad Doctor shrieked as he struggled to keep his footing on the writhing creature. "You _**hated**_ that mouse for years! Now all of a sudden he's your friend?"

Oswald hesitated, lowering his remote.

"No," he said quietly.

Gus looked at him nervously as the Mad Doctor grinned. But after a moment, Oswald smiled and raised his weapon again.

"He's my brother."

With that, he punched the button. The horrible metallic shriek made him and Gus cover their ears, cringing in pain. Oswald looked up at the writhing robot as it reared back…

And Mickey's broken body fell from the disintegrating hand.

Without a second thought, Oswald started running as fast as he could. With one final leap, he managed to catch the mouse before he hit the ground.

"Gotcha!"

As metal and sparks rained down, he shifted Mickey onto his back and ran, snatching up the magic brush as he passed. Gus zoomed after as Oswald ran out of the lab. They were barely out the door when an explosion shook the castle, knocking everyone down.

Oswald looked at the closed door for a moment, knowing that it was finally over; the former friend that became his greatest enemy was defeated.

_Mickey._

Immediately, he hurried to the mouse. Gus was already there, looking more forlorn than he'd ever seen.

Swallowing, Oswald knelt beside Mickey, who slowly opened his eyes. Dulled with pain, they focused on him. Gulping down the lump rising in his throat, Oswald managed a small grin.

"You idiot," he said softly. "Passing out in that thing's hand wasn't exactly part of the plan."

He winced as Mickey coughed, then looked back up, struggling to hold his eyes open.

"N-… neither w-was… g-getting… sm-…smashed…"

Oswald couldn't suppress a chuckle.

"I guess I gotta owe you for that too."

The mouse smiled weakly, but then his face grew solemn. Taking a shaky breath, he slowly lifted a hand. Oswald bit his lip as it brushed his own.

"I… I'm s-… sorry…" Mickey rasped, his eyes full of sadness. "F-for… every… thing…"

Oswald felt his eyes start to sting, but quickly shook it off. There was absolutely no way that he was going to be the one to let all hell loose.

"Don't get all sentimental, mouse. It's way too cliché."

Mickey's face fell, and his eyes fell closed. Oswald gulped; taking a deep breath, he gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Mickey?"

The mouse's eyes opened a little, and Oswald smiled.

"It's okay," he said quietly. "I forgive you." His throat tightened when Mickey smiled too, his eyes shining.

Oswald watched as they closed again, fear steadily filling him. Gus moved closer, and Oswald's heart sank at the look on his face.

"Is… is he…"

The gremlin shook his head sadly.

"No, he's still alive, but only just."

Looking back down at the unconscious mouse, Oswald felt a deep sadness that he had only felt once before. His mind suddenly returned to long ago when he had lost his creator and in every sense his father. Now he was facing the loss of his only remaining family… his brother.

Closing his eyes, Oswald clenched his fists in despair. He felt his right hand squeeze something wood and realized he was still holding the brush. He looked down at it and saw a soft blue light glowing from it through his blurred eyes. Blinking to clear them, Oswald lifted the brush and frowned in thought.

Paint…

His eyes widened as a thought came to him and tightened his grip on the brush. It was a crazy idea and he knew it, but if it might work he had to try. Taking a deep breath, Oswald stood and pointed the brush at Mickey.

"What… what are you doing?" Gus asked anxiously. The rabbit glanced at him.

"Saving my little brother."

With that, he gathered all the mental energy he possessed and pushed it into the brush. The paint began flowing, engulfing its target in a blue light. Sooner than he expected, weariness began blurring his mind. Oswald clutched the brush tighter and forced himself to concentrate.

Can't give up… can't give up…

He dimly heard Gus calling out in alarm.

"Oswald, wait!"

The rabbit clenched his teeth and continued shooting the paint, letting his energy flow freely.

"I'm not… giving… up," he panted as his vision grew hazy and darkened. Ignoring the warning signs screaming in his mind, Oswald kept pushing. His head grew more and more blurred, until finally he couldn't stand anymore. So drained that he could barely feel, Oswald slid to the ground.

He heard Gus say something about getting help, but didn't pay much attention. He managed to focus his increasingly heavy eyes on the dark form lying near him. As his eyes closed, words that he had heard many times before came to his mind.

"Keep moving…" he whispered slowly. "K-keep moving forward…"


	2. Chapter 2

Awareness came back slowly… and reluctantly. Oswald let out a groan; his head felt like a house fell on it and his limbs were stiff as wood.

"Ow…"

As he shifted on the soft surface he was laying on, a soft gasp came to his ears. His aches and pains instantly shrank to a pinprick and the rabbit pushed his eyes open, blinking at the low light.

"Ortensia?"

Any further speech was interrupted by a tight hug and passionate kiss, which he happily returned. He felt tears on his fur as Ortensia nestled into his chest.

"Thank heaven you're all right," she whispered. "I was so worried."

Feeling guilty, Oswald gently rubbed her head between the ears, smiling as she started purring.

"Don't cry, 'Tensia," he said softly. "I'm sorry, but I had to…"

His eyes widened in alarm.

"Mickey!"

Oswald sat up, grunting at the resulting throb in his head.

"Be careful!" Ortensia exclaimed, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine," he said, rubbing his head. "Is Mickey okay?"

Ortensia bit her lip, looking worried.

"I don't know," she said softly. "Gus and Stawon are with him upstairs and they haven't come down yet. I thought of finding out, but I didn't want to leave you."

Seeing that she was getting upset again, the rabbit managed a reassuring smile and gave her a gentle hug. Ortensia whimpered quietly and nestled against him.

"Oswald… Gus told me that you… you tried to use the Paint…"

The rabbit clenched his jaw at the overwhelming sense of failure. From the sound of it, he hadn't done much, if any good.

"I thought I could help him," he said in a rough voice. "I really… I really believed it could work."

Ortensia sighed and rubbed his arm.

"Some things can't be fixed, Ozzie."

At those words, Oswald looked at his feet.

"Especially things I try to," he said bitterly. After a moment, Ortensia placed a hand under his chin and gently lifted until his eyes met hers.

"You did all you could, sweetie," she said softly. "Gus said if you hadn't, Mickey wouldn't have even made it here."

She smiled and kissed his forehead.

"I'm so proud of you, honey bunny."

Oswald managed to smile back and lifted his hand to hers. The moment was quickly interrupted by several light blue blurs zooming in from outside.

"Daddy!" they squealed, and Oswald found himself surrounded by overjoyed bunny kids, bouncing on and around the sofa between crushing hugs. Ortensia giggled as Oswald tried to greet his ecstatic children. Just as they started to calm down, a soft sound from the stairs made everyone look up.

The minute they saw Gus, the bunny kids scurried over and began spouting anxious questions all at once. The gremlin tried to answer them, but quickly grew flustered and looked at Ortensia with a "save me" look.

"All right, children," she said, walking over to them. "Why don't you go play? You can see Uncle Mickey later."

The bunny kids all drooped, but nodded obediently and hopped out. Once they were out the door, Gus sighed in relief.

"So…" Ortensia said softly. "Is he all right?"

Oswald's ears instantly perked as Gus rubbed his neck.

"I'm not sure," he said sadly. "Stawon made me wait outside most of the time. He just sent me to see if Oswald was awake."

The rabbit's ears drooped again. Gus fluttered over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"He says you can come up now."

Oswald started to get up, but his head protested right away. Ortensia immediately hurried over and took his arm, helping him up.

"Are you sure you're okay, sweetie?" she whispered. Oswald drew himself up straighter and gave her a smile. He had long ago trained himself to be strong for her, his friends and his children, but now there was one more person to be strong for.

"Yeah, honey," he said, gently brushing his hand over her cheek. "I'm fine."

Ignoring the ache in his head, Oswald gave Ortensia a little kiss and headed upstairs as she and Gus watched. When he reached the closed bedroom door, he took a deep breath and opened it. Stawon looked up as he stepped inside, but the rabbit's eyes immediately went to the bed where Mickey lay, bandaged and eyes closed.

"Ah, don't worry," Stawon said. "He's a tough fella. I'll bet my goggles he's up and melting Blotlings in no time."

Oswald smiled gratefully as the medical gremlin saluted and headed to the door, pausing to place a hand on Oswald's shoulder.

"That was a big risk, y' know," he said. The rabbit grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

"As long as it worked."

Stawon chuckled and left the room. Oswald looked back over at the bed and slowly walked over, sitting down on a nearby chair. As he rubbed his head, which was aching slightly again, he kept an eye on Mickey as he slept on. After a few moments, he sighed and placed his chin in his hand.

"Jeez," he muttered. "You fought hundreds of robots and Blotlings, crossed Thinner, jumped into the Shadow Blot, now you take one hit and here you are taking a nap."

A stirring motion made Oswald's ears prick. Mickey groaned softly as his eyes slowly opened. The rabbit grinned and crossed his arms.

"About time, mouse," he said. "I was startin' to think I saved your scrawny neck for nothing."

Mickey chuckled drily.

"Nice to see you too."

He winced as he pushed himself up, causing the rabbit's ears to twitch with concern; of course, he had no intention of showing it.

"So how ya doing?"

Mickey didn't answer for a while, then glanced down.

"Oswald…" he said quietly. "I heard Gus and Stawon talking for a while."

Oswald cocked his head, slightly confused. After a moment, Mickey looked up and smiled slightly.

"Thanks," he said softly, but the guilt was visible on his face. After a moment, Oswald reached over and placed a hand on Mickey's shoulder, smiling.

"I wouldn't do anything else, Mick," he said. "And I know you wouldn't either. We're family, right?"

Mickey looked at him for a moment, then he smiled.

"Yeah," he said. "Thanks for saving me, Os."

Finally unable to keep up his tough guy appearance, Oswald gave it up, leaned in and hugged Mickey gently. After a moment's pause, he felt him return it and smiled.

"Ditto, little brother."


End file.
